Manco Cápac

Sometime before 1200, possibly in the early 13th century, Manco Cápac — also called Manco Inca or Ayar Manco — emerged as the central figure in two foundational legends of the Inca civilization, both tying him to the establishment of Cusco as its seat of power. He married his older sister, Mama Uqllu, who bore his son and successor, Sinchi Ruq'a. Chronicles mention him as the first governor, the one who set the template for what would become an empire stretching across the Andes. But the sources are hazy, the dates approximate, and historians still argue whether he was a real man or a story to…